I've lived most of my life in the black or white...I was junk-food-addicted-couch-potato then food-phobic-health-freak.I'm done with the extremes of black or white and ready to embrace the gray! I'm on a journey to find the healthiest version of me and I'm documenting my journey here hoping that it will help me and maybe even inspire someone else...

Search This Blog

D10 5 Ways to Make Running Suck Less & How You Can Apply These Tips To Your WLJ Even If You Don't Run!

I was scrolling through Facebook yesterday and this article popped up on my news feed. I've been running for a while now and I figured it would probably have information I already knew because I know it all...obviously! But I clicked on it anyways, why not!?

And I'm so happy I did! I actually found it funny and I appreciated the reminders because even though I knew things before I read it I wasn't applying them to my runs...but as I read I realized how much this article was a metaphor for other aspects of my weight loss journey! I can apply these tips to more than running, and heres how:

1. Get your chin down! Keep your jaw relaxed. Being aware of tension in my body is super important for me and it's especially important I'm aware of tension in my jaw. I get stressed, I clench my teeth and what happens next? I'm STARVING. Why? Because I'm tense and anxious, I'm not actually in need of food! If I can catch the clench and get to the bottom of what's causing it most likely I'll be able to avoid emotionally eating.

2. "Scrunching your shoulders up into your ears and forcefully swinging rigid arms back and forth isn’t going to make running enjoyable." I used to be guilty of this because I was forcing myself to try to go faster and harder and it was exhausting. Allowing space reduces tension makes things a lot more comfortable, and when you're comfortable things are easier and if things are easier you can build up to getting faster and stronger. If you are super rigid and trying like crazy to make sure you stay on track most likely you're going to burn yourself out. Maybe you'll feel like you're running slower if you're not swinging your arms like an intoxicated marionette but you're also not going to run yourself into the ground. Maybe you'll feel like you're not going to lose as much as fast if you allow yourself some indulgences and never enjoy a meal out or a desert with a loved one but if you don't have those things you most likely will run yourself into the ground. Anytime we try to force something that doesn't feel natural we run the risk of giving up. Ease into it, let it happen naturally. Maybe that means a little slower but that's OK!

3. "Ban sassy booty". This one made me laugh out loud! As far as running goes the author means to rely on your core but relying on your core is imperative for your weight loss journey outside of running or exercise as well. Think about this really quick, your core is what makes you YOU. Your values, your morals, the things that make you YOU-that's your core. Having a core "diet" is super important and for me that core is Weight Watchers. I love that I have Good Health Guidelines (dairy, water, fruits and veggies, healthy fats and exercise), a giant list of Power Foods that will keep me satisfied and I'm encouraged to indulge occasionally because Weight Watchers gets that I cannot be successful if I'm too rigid. I mean, does it get better than that? I don't think of Weight Watchers as a "diet" because first and foremost the word diet has the word DIE in it and I'd rather change my lifestyle and live. ;-) If you don't follow Weight Watchers, that's OK! But having SOME kind of a guideline is important. The same as starting an exercise routine, you need to have some idea of what you're doing so you're not in the gym throwing kettle bells and knocking people out. Find out what works for you, what is your go-to move? That's your core. When you start to veer off and you need to be brought back to basics, strip it down and focus on your core! Set yourself up for success by finding a core diet that works for you.

4. "Keep your feet under you". Longer strides may make you feel like you're getting there faster and who doesn't want to get to their goal faster? But by taking longer strides while running you're more likely to fatigue your legs and injure yourself. When embarking on a healthy lifestyle change we often tend to be thrilled and excited and we get ahead of ourselves. We might feel that we're super capable and unstoppable and then burnout because we don't see the results we want as quickly as we want or we tried to change too much all at once. By taking shorter, consistent strides and keeping our feet under ourselves we set ourselves up for success. Changing things one baby step at a time and reminding ourselves that this is a marathon not a sprint can really help prevent burnout and lead to long term sustainable weight loss. And who doesn't want long term sustainable weight loss? I don't know about you but I'm not interested in working this hard to lose weight and get healthy to get to goal and gain it all back. No, no. My intention is to get where I'm going and then STAY there!5. Slow down!! This pretty much recaps this entire blog. Pay attention to your body, let yourself relax, find your core, baby steps add up BIG TIME as long as you don't rush the process.Honor your body and your spirit by making changes that feel good for you. Be patient and be kind to yourself along the way and you won't regret it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I fell in love today. It was the craziest feeling and one of the most amazing moments in my 29 years of life. I will never forget the day I stood in the Target dressing room looking at her. Admiring her. Seeing her strength and beauty despite her flaws...maybe even because of them. She was stunning. Absolutely radiant and proud. She was beautiful outside but not because she had a toned stomach, tanned flawless skin and a thigh gap; she was a different kind of beautiful. She was genuinely beautiful. I stood there staring at her and admiring her and I felt myself smiling; caught off guard by how I was feeling! Almost a little ashamed that she caught my admiring eye. But she didn't reject my admiration; instead she smiled back at me and before I knew it I was crying.

Time was suspended as I stood there weeping softly, hot tears rolling down my cheeks but I didn't feel embarrassed in her presence. I was overcome with emotion but shame was not one. With her standing there I I felt s…

At Weight Watchers this week we were talking about being kind to yourself. I was asked when it was I decided to stop beating beating myself up and I started to cry the moment I said “it all started with a bikini”. You can read that story here if you want to be caught up. I instantly felt my face flush as I realized I wasn’t going to be able to keep talking without tears rolling down my cheeks and I paused for a moment to look around the room. Was what I was about to do career suicide? What would my boss think if she walked into the meeting room and witnessed the leader having an emotional breakdown? My job as a leader is to facilitate a conversation among members, to create an environment where each and every person who walks through the door feels safe and supported and to ensure that each week members leave feeling like they got a figurative hug with a side of science. It’s great to be warm and fuzzy and I love that Weight Watchers has moved past the days of a leader lecturing for 45 …

Pound Fitness:"Instead of listening to music, you become the music in this exhilarating full-body workout that combines cardio, conditioning and strength training with yoga and pilates-inspired movements. Using Ripstix, lightly weighted drumsticks engineered specifically for exercising POUND transforms drumming into an incedibly effective way of working out." I have spent an incredible amount of time feeling lonely and excluded. My weight ostracized me. I felt isolated and alone then I joined WW and I found people who understood me; now I work for WW and I have found a family. Because of WW I have a newfound confidence. I am brave enough to try new things and get wayyyy out of my comfort zone cause I know no matter what, I’ve got people who are going to catch me if I fall when I take a leap of faith. Pound Fitness is a physical manifestation of what WW is to me. It is connection, literally and figuratively. When I slam my Ripstix against the floor I’m getting low enough in my…

About Me

I'm a recovering junk-food-addicted-couch-potato turned food-phopbic-health-freak. I've lived both of the extremes, black and white! Now I'm working towards the middle which I call "the gray".
I truly believe that we can change our lives and be healthier and happier, we just have to take the first step, let's do it together :)
I'm a Weight Watcher member and employee but I'm here to document my own personal journey. All opinions and views are my own and separate from Weight Watchers.